Fury over death-crash driver’s bid for freedom

A KILLER driver who crashed into a Sheffield woman in a race against another car has applied to be moved into an open prison - 10 months into a five-year sentence.

Adam Cox, of Oldfield Road, Stannington, ploughed into a car driven by 56-year-old support teacher and grandmother June Bryce-Stephen as he raced along a busy dual carriageway in March 2010. He was jailed the following May.

The 24-year-old had been racing another driver along Halifax Road, Wadsley Bridge.

The pair had been seen speeding, weaving in and out of traffic and following each other bumper to bumper before the smash.

Cox, who had only passed his test 10 days beforehand, has now applied to be moved to an open prison 10 months into his five-year sentence. If approved he would be allowed home visits.

When he was jailed after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, Judge Michael Murphy said he had ‘thought nothing of other road users’ as he raced along the road.

Cox’s bid for release from a full security prison has angered his victim’s family. A petition has now been launched objecting to his plan.

Martin White, the partner of Ms Bryce-Stephen’s daughter, Joanne Capille, said the family was appalled at Cox’s application to move to a lower security prison.

He said: “The issue we have with this is it is only 10 months since he was sentenced to five years, it’s not like this is towards the end of his sentence - I thought prison was about removing liberties such as seeing your family.

“He is in a fortunate position - he will be able to see his family again.

“We will never see June again, so if he is allowed his freedom so early into his sentence, it will be a huge slap in the face to us.

“We know he is young and will need to be released eventually, but he has killed somebody, so it should not be made easy for him - he deliberately set out to race that day regardless of the consequences and has never shown remorse.

“This is not justice, we are the ones suffering - we had the trial, an appeal and now this.”